I’m just going to say this up front; this was the last thing we did and probably my favorite experience of the trip. And it’s a little odd that it has nothing to do with food, right?
We arrived at Santa Cecila to find it closed for a mid day break. My tip; get there when they open in the morning, or after mid day break and head right for the crypt. There were a couple of dozen people waiting, some clearly part of a tour group, when a nun in full habit arrived to open the locked doors to the church from within. We were there to see the crypt and headed there as soon as we entered the church.
Waiting to go inside.
Door in church courtyard.
I can see you...
Carving outside the entrance
The entrance is inside the tiny gift shop to the left as you go through the front doors. There is a small fee for seeing the crypt. I paid the nun and she handed me a heavy key and spoke to me in Italian. I didn’t quite understand what it was for, but I figured we had to unlock the door to enter and that I’d bring her the key right back.
It is said that Saint Cecilia was an aristocrat and an early Christian who was martyred in her home in AD 230. The church which stands in Trastevere today is built on top of that home which was used in her time as a secret place of worship. The remains of a tannery can also be seen in the area beneath the church. The first church on this site was founded in the 4th century and the present church was first built in the 9th century. Cecilia’s remains and those of her husband and his brothers were moved here from the catacombs of San Callisto. When her remains where exhumed in the late 1599 during a restoration, it’s said they were perfectly preserved with clear markings from her attempted beheading. The statue of her near the alter is based on eyewitnesses of the exhumation.
Clockwise from top left; museum in crypt entrance, winding our way through the corridors, remains of the ancient house, remains of the tannery.
When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I found the door to the crypt was open and we were the first inside. Another couple came in shortly behind us. For a few minutes it felt like we were alone and just discovering it for the first time and it was magical.
There is something incredible about walking across mosaic floors over 2000 years old.
Mithraic figure
There were lots of little niche areas to explore. Finally at the back of the space, I found a locked gate. Through the bars I could see marble columns and floors and gilded mosaics on the walls, all perfectly preserved.
I finally knew why the nun had given me the key.
This space is in the crypt behind the gate for which I had the key!
I unlocked the gate, left the key in the padlock, and stepped inside. It was stunning. As it turns out, this part of the crypt was built in 1899 to house the “the tombs of the martyrs Cecilia, Valerian, Tibertius, and Maximus and the popes Urban I (222-30) and Lucius I (253-54)” which were moved there in the 9th century.
Inside the crypt
Inside the crypt
Inside the crypt
We had about 2 minutes before the other couple came in and about 5 minutes before a large German tour group appeared and took their seats for a quick service. We left them singing hymns and headed back upstairs.
Upstairs, the church itself is quite small with a beautifully carved statue of a sleeping St Cecilia right in front of the altar.
Santa Cecila statue at the alter, supposedly as she was when exhumed in 1599.
Inside the church.
The apse of the church
For more on Santa Cecilia in Trastevere Church see:
http://www.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
This church that can be found at Rome, is really beautiful… The architecture is amazing is the art shows that best…
Churches are one of my favorite things to tour. I vaguely remember while in Rome someone telling us that the city has 365 churches, one to tour each day of the year! The crypt of this one is absolutely stunning. Can you imagine how long it took to create those mosaics? I love seeing these off-the-beaten-path locales through your stories and beautiful photos. Again, many thanks!
The crypt under Santa Cecelia was also one my favorite experiences in Rome. Except I went down there alone (perhaps only 2-3 other tourists there) the nooks were deep in darkness, and I’ll admit it – I got the creepy-chills. It was the first time I looked for other tourists to tag along behind! Your pictures are gorgeous and bring my experience flooding back to me. Thanks for sharing.
Myra recently posted..Palais Royal Apartment in Paris
the discovery of that crypt, with the key…so special. It was pretty great…and the pictures came out great!
Great discovery, and great story. There’s something to be said for being given the key to anything. Let alone finding the door it belongs too and opening it.
The Santa Cecila statue us quite unusual too.
Dave recently posted..Are you Experienced? by William Sutcliffe: travel book review
Thanks Dave. I know I’m not the first, but it was a discovery for me and that’s enough to make it special.
Wow – beautiful. Unfortunately I never got there during my time in Rome. What an experience, being handed the key. Saint Cecilia’s tomb is quite different too. I’ll have to mark it down for next time!
wandergirl recently posted..C’est ici l’empire de la mort: The Catacombs in photos
I really like the eclectic style of the building, there are so many beautiful churches in Rome. In this case, the main facade and the interior of the crypt is in baroque, but the tower (‘campanile’) has got signs from the renessaince. By the way it is a really beautiful architectural sign, it represents more than 3 different ages/styles.
Amy recently posted..Dealing With Stress Naturally
This creation is very impressive, it was truly beautiful…